Garden Tips

Be careful what you do in the garden.
The potatoes have eyes, the corn has ears and the beanstalk.

2022

Presented by Faye Wons:

Make your own soil testing kit:  All you need is water, white vinegar, baking soda, and a clean container.

To test for alkaline, put a little soil in a clean container and add ½ cup white vinegar. If it foams there is too much alkaline.

To test for acidity, put a little soil in a clean container and add ½ cup water and ½ cup baking soda. If it foams it has too much acid.

For January and February:  Spring is a busy time, prepare your pots with soil now to save time in the spring.

To deter soil gnats, put 1/2 inch of sand over potting soil. It will dry out quickly making it inhospitable for laying eggs.

A potato sliced in half with the cut side down on the soil will attract the gnat larvae. Check periodically and replace the larvae infested potato slices with new ones.

2021

Presented by Faye Wons:

Soak rusty tools covered with vinegar in a small plastic dish pan for 48 hours then clean with a wire brush.

Make sure to spray with WD 40 to keep rust from coming back.

For tomato worms: put 10 drops of mint oil, a few drops of dish soap, a few drops of vinegar in a spray bottle and spray plants.

You can also crush a few worms and put around the base of the plants.

Make a hose guide by cutting a 2 ft. length of heavy pvc pipe, pound it into the ground.

You can insert a solar light from the dollar store to create an inexpensive path light.

It can be switched out with holiday lights as well.

Orioles build their nests in palm trees so be sure to trim them between September 15 and December 15.

WD 40 Uses:

Spray it on tools and metal furniture to keep them from rusting.

Spray it on hammocks and swings to keep from squeaking.

Spray it on garden sculptures to keep them looking good and shiny.

Spray it on water hose connecters to help stop corrosion.

Spray WD 40 to the inside of Owl boxes, let dry completely, to deter bees and wasps.

For mildew: mix 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1/2 tablespoon soap, 1 gallon water and spray plants.

For mildew: mix 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1pint alcohol and spray plants.

For soil gnats: mix 1 cup alcohol and 1 quart water and spray soil.

Take a YELLOW solo cup and attach a popsicle stick to the inside of the cup.

The stick will look like a popsicle that got off center.

Put Vaseline completely around the outside of the cup, in a ¼ inch band.

Place in a flower pot to trap soil gnats. The gnats are attracted to the color and get stuck.

You can buy traps with the same principle but they are expensive.

The Vaseline can be wiped off and reapplied.

For mosquitoes: mix 1 large BLUE mouthwash, 3 bottles stale beer, 3 cups Epson salt and spray your yard; it won’t harm plants.

When trimming palm fronds, ONLY trim between Sept. 15th and Oct. 15th. Orioles build their nests in them.

When fingernails are stained with soil, get an old toothbrush use a small amount of whitening tooth paste and scrub away.

For dandelion removal, use a fence post. The kind you step on to anchor in the soil.  Step on the anchor part next to the dandelion and it will come out with the post.

Use the fabric handles off of gift bags to tie up plants

For counter composting crocks, use kitty litter filters. The kind you use in dome covered litter boxes.  

They are odor controlling and a lot less money than the filters for the compost crocks.

Use the filter from the crock as a template, cut to size.

Keep an old shower curtain in the trunk of your car to transport new plants or potting soil home or buy one from the dollar store.

When broadcasting seeds, cover them right away with potting soil; the potting soil will be a darker color so you can see where you planted plus it will be easier to see your seedlings.

When spreading bark, pour mounds around the beds. Using an old corn broom, sweep the bark or mulch around the ground; make sure to leave a 3-inch space around the roots.

To keep squirrels out of newly planted flower pots, add 5-6” shards of pottery around the soil, this will deter the squirrels and weeds and help deter moisture loss.

Keep Pruners Clean:  Use disinfectant wipes to clean pruners in between cuts.

Control Whiteflies on House Plants:  Put a flowering tobacco plant near them. The sticky leaves will catch the flies.

Use Avocado Skins to Start Seeds:  Cut the avocado skin in half and punch holes in the bottom, fill with seed starter soil and plant seeds. 

Place in a plastic container so that you can monitor the dampness. When ready to plant outdoors just plant the skin and all. The seeds aren’t  disturbed and the skin will decompose.  

Plant Tags Getting Lost?  Cut the pointed part off, punch a hole near the bottom, get a metal ring and thread them on it in alphabetical order.

2020

Presented by Faye Wons:

Lay old towels on bare soil, cover with mulch; this will keep the soil evenly moist and deter weeds.

Keep dogs out of the garden or flower beds by setting up movable kennels around them.

Use old xmas light strings with clips wound through a trellis or lattice to hold peas, beans, tomatoes in place.

Use 1/2 of an orange mounted on a nail to feed orioles, when most of the pulp is gone fill with nectar.

The pulp will seal the area around the hole from the nail. When empty just throw the orange into

the garden, no clean up.

If you are having trouble with bees invading your hummingbird feeders, try these tips:

Buy bee proof feeders

Buy ALL red feeders. Bees are attracted to yellow

Take yellow flowers from feeding ports

Put feeders in the shade, bees are used to eating flowers that bloom in the sun

Rub peppermint extract around feeding ports

Plant flowers away from feeders that attract bees, such as sunflowers, lilac, rose, lavender, and snapdragons

Put sugar water in a bowl, add a small rock for bees to climb on, place away from feeders

For E-Z off & on garden shoes:  Replace the shoelaces with 1/4 “ elastic, don’t pull too tight through the eyelets.

Use double faced tape to wrap trellis legs to keep creepy crawlers from climbing up.

When trimming plants that stick to your clothing, wear a nylon windbreaker, plants can’t hang on it.

2019

Presented by Faye Wons:

Epsom Salt mixed with grass seed will help the seeds germinate and when fertilizing, it will help green up the lawn.

Sprinkle a light coating of clean sand covering all the soil in potted plants. This will help keep fungus gnats away. If you cover the soil with clean sand under milkweed plants, it will protect Monarch Butterfly caterpillars, from the harmful insecticides routinely put into commercial planting mix, during their journey from the host milkweed plant to the site where they will go into their chrysalis stage.

Purslane – from Obnoxious Weed to Superfood!!   portulaca oleracea 

Presented by Pat Boyd

I grew up on a farm in WI where we called this plant Pigweed.  Here in Temecula, some came up in my garden so I pulled it up as a weed.  Then one day I was at the Farmers Market, and there were big bunches of this stuff for sale (and it wasn’t cheap).  My reaction was, “Pigweed!!  How can you sell Pigweed—it comes up all over the world –for Free!”  I said to the vender, “What do you do with it?”  She said, “You can put it in salads or soups or sauté it.  You can use it like spinach.  They say it is more nutritious than spinach.”

Nutrition interests me, so I was regretting having discarded my pigweeds.  Luckily for me, I had not completely eradicated it from my garden; a few more little pigweeds came up and I let them grow.  I tasted some plain, put a little in a salad, sautéed just a little so I could taste it that way.  Then I said...  “I don’t like it.  I wish I liked it—but I don’t.”  And I continued to pull it out as a weed.

Luckily for me, I had not completely eradicated it from my garden; some more little pigweeds came up this year as the weather turned from cool to hot, and I had another idea as to how I could use Purslane—I could put it in smoothies.

In the cold-weather months, I was growing kale, lettuce, and spinach, and I was making smoothies with those greens and fruit juice and frozen fruit and banana, chia seed, flax seed, and a protein powder--using my high-speed Ninja Blender.  It is amazing how many greens you can put in a smoothie and no one even knows there are there because the flavor of the fruit dominates.  Even my husband likes those nutrition-packed smoothies.

Spinach does not grow very well in my garden; it stays tiny and dies when the weather turns hot.  The lettuce and kale turn bitter.  That is when the Purslane comes up and it thrives through the hot summer when everything else is struggling.  It is a succulent, it’s drought tolerant, it’s heat tolerant.  It’s easy to grow, you don’t even have to plant it; it comes up from seed by itself.  Just don’t let much of it go to seed or it will come up looking like wall-to-wall carpet.  Pick it young and tender. 

Purslane has the most omega-3 fatty acids (particularly alpha-linolenic acid) of any green leafy vegetable tested thus far.  It has more beta carotene, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E than carrots.  It's also high in Vitamin C, and has a bit of calcium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.  It has about 16 calories per 100 grams (3.5 ounces).

U.S. Agriculture has regarded pigweed as a noxious, invasive weed, and has spent a lot of money, and used tons of toxic chemicals trying to get rid of it along with other weeds such as Lambs Quarter, which is also edible, and Dandelions, etc.  Now Purslane is a superfood!  Who knew?  And what other weeds will be discovered to be highly nutritious vegetables?

Now I am looking for other recipes that I would like.  If you search Google for recipes, you can find lots.  Many cultures around the globe embrace purslane as a food.  If you like to eat Purslane, tell me how you prepare it.

Here are some other bits from the internet:

"Pigweed" is a nickname for purslane; "the 19th century Englishman William Cobbett said it was suitable only for pigs and the French."

"The only thing to bear in mind with purslane is that you either want it raw/barely cooked through, or else you want to cook the [heck] out of it, probably with an acid along for the ride; anything in between is likely to seem unpleasantly slimy to the American palate."

"A single purslane plant can produce over 200,000 seeds that can lay dormant for five to 40 years."  (I don't know how anyone could know that.)

Warning:  People with known oxalate urinary tract stones are advised to avoid eating purslane because purslane contains oxalic acid.

“In Harold McGee's book, On Food and Cooking, he notes that purslane's tartness comes from an abundance of malic acid. Succulents like purslane convert malic acid to glucose during the day. This means that purslane harvested in the morning will be more tart than purslane harvested later in the day or evening.”

Nutrition: 

There is an easy to read chart here:  https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html

Here is a link to the nutritional analysis for purslane and a whole lot of other information from the National Institutes for Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934766/

If you would like to know how I make smoothies, click on the link below, which will open the pdf "The Way I Make Smoothies" (by Pat Boyd).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ykaGTCXE4sDYAg0w5GDXJe_ktCg1vGMQ/view?usp=sharing 

Note from Susan Puma:  The information for this article was taken from several articles on Pinterest.  I am going to try it this year.

If there is one garden chore that can really help your tomato crop reach its full potential – its pruning.

Left alone to grow as they please, tomato plants can morph into a tangled mess of stems, shoots, roots, and leaves. Beyond creating a mess in the garden, it can also invite all types of pests and disease that wreak havoc on your tomato plants and, more importantly, your harvest.

Pruning your plants allows for better air circulation and makes it harder for pests and disease to take control.

Pruning your plants now can mean a bigger harvest later.  

Before you prune, you need to know which types of tomatoes you are growing. There are two types of tomatoes:  determinate and indeterminate.

Determinate varieties will grow for a specified time and have almost all of their fruit ripen over a two to three-week period.  They tend to be a bushier style of plant.  Roma and Marzano are great examples. These require little or no pruning on the sides and up top but benefit greatly from bottom pruning.  

Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, will grow and keep on producing tomatoes until killed by frost. Most all of the heirloom varieties fall under this category and pruning them is key to a healthy crop.

When pruning your tomatoes, be sure to use a sharp pair of hand pruners or heavy-duty garden scissors. Dull blades can tear the plants causing damage.  Prune early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the heat of the day when plants are at their highest stress level.  Make sure your tools are clean and sterilized so you won’t carry diseases from one plant to another.

Start by clearing out the bottom branches.  Clearing out the bottom space allows for better air circulation and less potential for disease.  It is extremely important to clear the stems and leaves from the bottom of your tomato plants, whether they are determinate or indeterminate. Even if you were to do no more pruning throughout the season, this alone can make all the difference in your crop’s health and yields.  Much of the rot and disease that can affect tomatoes are soil borne – and clearing out the bottom area makes it less likely your plants can become infected. This is also why it is important to mulch under your plants with shredded leaves or straw. Pruning the bottom also helps defend against disease by allowing air to circulate throughout the plants and makes it easier to water when needed. Most importantly, it makes it hard for crawling garden pests to have an easy lift up onto your plants.

For determinate varieties that tend to grow shorter and bushier, take off the first few branches at ground level, leaving around 4” to 6″ of space off the ground.  For indeterminate and larger tomatoes, don’t be afraid to take up to 8” to 12″ at the bottom of each plant off to allow more air, light and circulation to your plants.

Next you will need to remove excess foliage in the middle of the plant to allow for more light to come through and ripen your tomatoes.  Nothing crazy here, just remove a few of the thick stems and leaves that carry little to no fruit. This is the also the time to trim back and eliminate renegade branches that seem to shoot off to the side and grow into the next row. Do not be afraid to trim back these wild branches.

Tomato plants can be trimmed to stay at a given height, especially when they begin to grow over your stakes or cages.  Simply trim off new shoots that begin to appear at the top of the plant.  Your tomato plants will begin to use their energy to put out more fruit. This is true more for the indeterminate varieties rather than determinate ones that will grow to a specific height and stop on their own.

So, get out there in the garden and do a little trimming of your tomatoes.  They will reward you with a healthier and more productive crop!

March 2018

I was happy to hear that several members tried last month’s garden tip, Natural Homemade Weed Killer, and reported that it worked for them.  A couple of others had some tips of their own they wanted me to share.  So, here they are:

Indoor or Outdoor Ant Spray   (from Faye Wons)

50/50 distilled vinegar and water 

Weed Suppressant    (from Faye Wons)                                                                 

Sprinkle cornmeal liberally over soil before weeds sprout instead of using Preen.

Lawn Fungus Spray    (from Faye Wons)

1 rounded Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp Dawn dish soap

1 quart water

Bug Spray     (from Debra Jones)

2 cups alcohol

2 cups water

1 Tbsp Dawn dish soap 

Nanobionic Light-Emitting Plants

From Susan Puma:  I came across a very interesting article on Light-Emitting Plants.  The following is a paraphrase of the article “Read By The Light Of a Glowing Plant?” by Autum Pylant in Photonics Spectra magazine, February 2018 edition:

Researchers at MIT think they may have a whole new solution for both interior and exterior lighting:  nanobionic light-emitting plants.  Their vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp – a lamp you don’t have to plug in.

The light in this nanobionic plant is powered by the metabolic energy of the plant itself, using the enzyme that makes fireflies glow.  Researchers have already produced watercress, arugula, spinach and kale that can glow for nearly four hours.  The next step is to optimize the brightness and duration of the light which researchers say can be done to extraordinarily high levels.

Such plant-based lighting could certainly cause a global energy revolution, reducing not only resource extraction for lighting technologies, urban lighting implementation, power, maintenance, and disposal of batteries, bulbs, semiconductors, circuit chips, but also other streams of e-waste and hardware from traditional bulb-based grid lighting.   Plant-based ambient light is formed, grown and deployed in a natural infrastructure that is safe, renewable and compostable at end of life.

Nanobionic light-emitting plants could soon be used for low-intensity indoor architectural lighting and could one day transform trees into self-powered streetlights.

February 2018

From Susan Puma:  I received a question from a member recently that led me to discovering a terrific garden tip for all of you this month.

Q: I am new to Ca. gardening & to Temecula. We had our back slope cleared of old shrubs & replanted. Now I am finding this plant coming up all over the slope? Is it a troublemaker?

A: Thanks for your inquiry. Regretfully, I cannot positively identify the weed that has appeared all over your slope. I went online to the Weed Gallery on the UC Integrated Pest Management website (ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/california) but found nothing similar to your photo. Weeds by nature are troublesome in that they grow where one does not want them. I live on 10 acres and weeds are always a problem. Disturbed soil seems to be the prime propagation environment for them.

For the present, my recommendation is to spray with one of the environmentally friendly herbicides as soon as possible. At the next Garden Club meeting, my Garden Tip will be a recipe for a natural homemade weed killer that is not only environmentally safe but is inexpensive and really works.

None of us like weeds in our garden. Weeds will choke out the plants in our yard that we actually want there, stealing nutrients, water and sun. 

On the other hand, these days we may find ourselves debating whether to use harsh chemicals guaranteed to kill weeds or taking a more natural approach to weed abatement. We know “Round-Up” will get the job done, but using natural weed killers, when we can, makes good sense. They are better for the environment. After all, it’s not just you, your pets and your kids being exposed to the chemicals you spray in the yard. It’s the bees, song birds, micro-organisms, and other living things too.

Q. I have hybrid tea roses that really do not go dormant in Temecula, so I'm not sure when it's best to prune.

A. Pruning encourages new stem growth and new blossoms, so no matter where you live you'll want to prune your roses every year even if they don't go dormant.

The best time to prune roses here in the Temecula Valley is between January 15 and February 15, before new growth appears and the probability of freezing temperatures is low. Before you start, make sure your pruning tools are clean and sharp.

Begin by cutting out dead, damaged and diseased growth.  Any canes that are old and striated (showing deep furrows) also need to be removed. Keep the nice green healthy canes. Then, cut out very thin canes and open the bush up by removing all branches that cross through the center or rub together. When removing an entire cane, make the cut as flush as you can to the bud union. If you leave a stub, it can die back into the bud union allowing entry for disease and pests. You may need to use a tree saw to get the final flush cut. 

Remove any suckers.  Suckers are any growth from below the graft union of your hybrid tea. Look carefully at the base of your plant. You probably see a swollen-looking area just above the soil level. This is the graft union, where the lovely flowering plant you bought was grafted onto the roots of another plant. That other plant is called rootstock. We want its roots, but nothing else.  Suckers will occasionally sprout from the rootstock and must be removed. Try not to cut off the suckers. Ideally, rip them out by hand at the base.  It’s okay is you rip out a little of the rose root in the process.  Ripping wounds the rootstock, making it less likely to resprout at that point.

The remaining canes, usually three to five but sometimes more in number, should be some distance from one another and look like a vase, open in the center, with canes extending from the graft area at a slight outward angle all around. Cut the canes back 12 to 18 inches from the graft union, about one-third to one-half their length.  Cut back to a point about a quarter inch above a leaf bud that points towards the outside of the plant. Make sure your cut is clean. Try not to make any ragged cuts, as this will allow insects and disease into the plant and open it up to infection. Always prune to a healthy bud. Make sure your cut is at a 45 degree angle going away from the bud.

Cutting these canes back seems extreme—we’ve already punished the plant so much—but this step is where the long stems come from. The buds on this framework will put up long growth with very large flowers on the end, because all the energy in the plant’s roots is channeled up into so few buds. 

Strip off all the leaves from the canes. New growth will appear about 6 weeks after pruning.  Clear all debris and weeds from around the rose and any soil that is covering the graft area.  In order to encourage new cane growth, I brush the graft area with a stiff natural fiber brush and sprinkle about 3/4 cup Epsom Salts around the base of the rose, then water moderately.

It is recommended to paint all cuts with a sealing compound because the plant is not actively growing and can't defend itself as well against diseases and pests. If you want to make sure your plants stay healthy, painting the cuts takes just a few minutes. 

Fertilize hybrid tea roses after the new bronze colored growth begins to turn green.  This will ensure that tender new stems are not burned.  Keeping your roses pruned properly every year will ensure healthy plants, and big, beautiful, fragrant flowers, which is why you have roses to begin with!

Most of us have gophers in our gardens from time to time. There is nothing worse than finding a large gopher mound in the middle of your pristine lawn or losing a prized rose bush to a gopher’s voracious appetite for roots. The only trap that has consistently worked for me is the Black Hole Rodent Trap. It is easy to install and its tube shape appears to be part of the gopher run. So, I trap the gopher almost every time.  A spring triggered loop dispatches the gopher instantly and the easy release mechanism means there is no handling of the remains for disposal.

The Black Hole Trap is available at most garden supply stores for around $25 or at Amazon for $15. I have several that I’ve used for more than ten years. One trap has nabbed over 100 critters over the years. I drop the captured gophers on top of one of the large boulders on my property. Within minutes they are picked up by a raven or turkey vulture for a tasty meal. We call the spot “McPuma’s Fast Food Fly-In”.   It is a natural way to recycle those pesky rodents that ruin my garden.

Want something flowery and fresh to enjoy indoors during the holiday season? Try forcing bulbs for home décor or for gift giving. My favorite is paperwhite narcissus. Their small clusters of delicate, fragrant flowers make them a perfect choice. But you should get started right away while there is still a variety of healthy bulbs at our local nurseries. You will also need about 6 to 8 weeks for the flowers to be in full display.

You will find this is an easy project. Here are the steps and some tips that work for me:

Paperwhites are easy to force in a glass container, with just some decorative gravel or stones. Growing bulbs in glass allows you to watch the root systems grow and adds to the organic feel of the plant. I like using a taller container to help support the plants as they grow. I also add charcoal from the indoor plant section of the nursery to keep the water smelling sweet. This year I used granulated carbon for fish tanks purchased at the pet store.

Purchase firm, full, blemish free bulbs. When forcing, quality counts. Herein lies a controversy. Traditional paper whites are the “Zika” variety, and are known to have a very “select” scent. It’s one of those things in the gardening world, you either love it or hate it. I happen to lie in the latter category. Lucky for us, there are varieties that have a much more subtle scent. My favorite is called ‘Inbal’. They also happen to be a little shorter than the grocery store paper whites too, and therefore less likely to flop over. Keep in mind though, that “Inbal” prefers to be forced in soil, not water.

However, the ‘Zika’ variety is inexpensive and easy to find, and blooms prolifically. It is super easy to grow, and forgiving of mistakes. It also tends to bloom a bit earlier… so if the scent doesn’t offend you, there is a reason it is the most popular variety!

Pour two inches of pebbles that have been rinsed into your vase. Add a tablespoon or two of granulated carbon or rinsed charcoal then more pebbles. Place bulbs, root-side down and almost touching one another, on top. Add enough tepid water to reach just to the bottoms of the bulbs. Replenish when the level falls by a quarter inch. Keep in a cool, darker place 7-10 days until good roots form, and then move to a brighter lit, warm spot.

There is a tip going around the internet on how to avoid stems that flop over. There is a theory that if you mix the water with 1:1 vodka ratio, then the stems will grow straighter and stronger. I can’t say I have had any positive success with this, but a lot of experienced bulb growers swear by it. And frankly, it’s a little bit of an expensive way to water your plants! Remember, you can stake your bulbs if they flop. I recommend bright light as they are budding, and daily rotating of the vase to help avoid that.

For the varieties that prefer it, or to make transport easier for gifts, you might want to force in soil. Plant the bulbs just under the surface of a general, well-draining potting soil in any container you choose. Water well, and keep moist. Put in a cool place for 7-10 days until roots form, then move to a bright, warm spot. Rotate them every day to keep the stalks growing upright. 

Paperwhites will bloom in four to six weeks, so if you are planting as gifts, count backwards in the calendar from the proposed gift giving time. The blooms last about two weeks. Most bulbs will not re-bloom after forcing, so it’s best to just discard the bulbs and start with new ones next year. 

Happy growing, Susan Puma

Keeping Phalaenopsis Orchids Alive and Thriving in Your Home

1. Location

    a. Light – Shade with bright indirect light; South facing if possible

    b. Temperature – Above 60 degrees. If you are comfortable, your orchid will be.

    c. Humidity – Leave half inch of water in bottom of container after watering

2. Container

    a. Plastic Container – With bottom drainage holes, placed inside decorative

    ceramic pot with no drainage holes.

    b. Specialty Orchid Pot – With holes in sides; no holes in bottom

    c. Potting Medium – Bark or bark/Perlite mix. No Styrofoam. Can repot with

    commercial Phalaenopsis potting bark mix. Plant likes constricted roots.

3. Watering and Fertilization

    a. Frequency – Once a week or every 4-5 days in hot or dry weather

    b. Method – Fill sink or large container with water to level of bark when pot is

    submerged. Add fertilizer according to package instructions. Remove orchid

    from decorative pot. Soak in water for 20 minutes then drain 5 minutes. Replace

    in pot; add a little water to bottom if necessary. If using orchid pot, just drain.

    Some water will remain at bottom of pot.

    c. Fertilizer – Use Grow More Orchid Food (30-10-10) from February through

    September and bloom formula 6-30-30 October through January.

4. Miscellaneous

    a. Grooming – Remove water droplets and dust with a soft cloth. Cut bloom spikes

    close to the base after flowers drop. Remove yellowed or dried leaves.

    b. Staking – As tender bloom spikes emerge, gently train them to upright position

    using bamboo stakes and orchid clips or ties.

"Garden Tips" presented by TVGC member, Shelley Craig:

May 2017

Summer is coming and our main concern is when to water and how much. Determine when to water by observation.

Here are some water indicators:

• Santa Ana's dry winds

• Drooping flowers

• Falling petals

• Invading ants escaping their airless underground dwellings

• Folding leaves

• Wilting foliage

• Soil surface cracking

Water lawns and trees planted in the ground early in the morning or late afternoon. It is best to water deep but infrequently by hand or automatic drip system. Make sure the water percolates 8 inches deep by watering for 15 minutes. All trees, especially citrus, water once a month; twice a month, when temperature reaches high 90's and above. Do not wet the trunk. 

Mix white water based latex paint with water 50:50 and paint any exposed trunks without bark and branches without leaves.

For container gardens and potted plants, the best watering time is afternoon. Research has determined that morning watering retards growth and stresses the plant. Afternoon till 6 p.m. watering increases the plant's rate of photosynthesis. and growth increases. Afternoon watering, does not burn leaves as once thought. I made an error in my speech saying potted plants need to be watered when the temperature is 70 degrees; instead they just need to be watered in the late afternoon when you would be comfortable watering. It is correct that all plants shut down at 80 degrees. Transpiration helps cool plants on hot days, because they release water through their leaves.  At 80 degrees, they stop transpiring to conserve water.  Dry Santa Ana winds also cause transpiration to cease. Only use liquid organic fertilizer to feed potted plants because the chemical fertilizer builds up in the soil and harms the roots which kills the plant. 

Consider Crop Production Services (L and M) for all your organic needs and vegetable plants. They give a discount for garden club members with their badge. Located at 28690 Las Haciendas in Temecula (951) 676-2990. Armstrong gives Garden Club Members a discount too.

If you are going away for week or less, try this trick for watering house plants. Take your hanger plants such as ferns and the peace lily to a sink filled with water. Hold the plant under water till it stops bubbling. Set aside till it stops draining. All drought tolerant plants such as dracaenas and cactus you only water when completely dry. Water only before you leave, if dry they will be fine. Take other plants such as orchids away from the light while you are away then they won't need watering while you are gone.

If you planted a drought tolerant or a California native plant last fall it is not established, therefore, it needs water every 2 weeks and once a week when temperatures reach 90 and above.

Summer is the time to plant palms and other tropical plants, for example bougainvillea, hibiscus, plumeria, angel trumpet and birds of paradise. Make sure to water as needed because they won't be established until next summer.

Summer is the best time to evaluate your garden and make plans for this fall, winter and next year.

Remove the dead and the ugly and consider replacing or moving plants that are not thriving. Consider removing a plant that just takes up too much time and energy to keep it happy.

References: "California Gardening Rhythms" and "California Gardener's Guide" both books authors are Bruce and Sharon Asakawa.

It has been a pleasure to serve the Garden Club with my monthly tips. I have gained more knowledge as I researched and wrote. What all gardeners have in common is our desire to live, grow and learn with our garden. --Shelley Craig

April 2017

Ants are the most common garden pest. They are also necessary for a healthy garden, therefore, we need to control ants and not eradicate them. 

How does an ant make your garden healthy? Ants decompose organic matter which enriches the soil. They eat flea and fly larvae and aerate the soil.

How do you control ants without eradicating them? First know that ants are attracted to sugar and water. They actually milk "honeydew" in the insects they herd and protect, such as aphids and mealy bugs. Ants also extract sugary juices from whiteflies and scale. When aphids attack your roses and vegetables it's a sure bet the ants were already there. If you control the ants, other insects will be easier to manage.

Where to find ant traps and bait? The University of CA, Agriculture and Natural Resources recommends KM ant liquid and pro bait system. Go to

www.ipm.ucanr.edu/ants to see the KM pro bait system and watch a video on how to use it. If you want to purchase, then search for "KM ant pro bait station". It may be some of us only need 2 bait stations and can split an order with a garden friend. Also ant bait, Terro, is available at garden stores. There is also organic version of Terro at Crop Production Services (L&M) at 28690 Las Haciendas. 

If you need lady bugs to control aphids, they are available at garden stores in the spring. They are also available on line for reasonable prices in large amounts. Type "live lady bugs" into your search engine.

March 2017

Common Pruning of orange and grapefruit trees:

I will use the term citrus trees, but I am only referring to orange and grapefruit trees. For example lemon trees are pruned differently than orange and grapefruit trees.  Spring is the best time to prune citrus trees, but when is spring in Temecula? If your tree is already budding, then Spring is here, so it is too late to top, shape, or remove a branch from the tree.  What you can do is remove suckers, water sprouts, dead wood or a dead branch.

Do not thin the canopy of your tree thinking the tree needs more light inside.  Citrus trees need very little pruning all their lives. Suckers are important to remove because they affect the taste of the fruit and prevent healthy growth. Suckers are the upright thin shoots growing in and around the roots of the citrus tree. Water sprouts are upright thin shoots growing on the limbs, tree trunk, and where the main branch joins the trunk. How to remove suckers and water sprouts? You will need to stand under the canopy of the tree looking up at the branches and down at the roots. 

First prepare yourself for battle. Don heavy gloves, a thick sweater or coat and goggles to protect yourself from thorns. Arm yourself with small pruners, loppers, and a small pruning saw. To remove a dead limb, first be sure the branch is dead. Cut the limb where it meets the trunk. Flush with the trunk. 

Do not apply anything to nurse the wound unless you have exposed the wound and other branches to the sun. To protect exposed branches or roots, purchase white water-based latex paint and dilute 1:1 to water.  If the lower branches above the roots are touching the ground you can cut them back a little at a time until they are no longer on the ground.  Resist the desire to cut them to trunk and remove them. This would expose the roots to the sun and require paint. 

Clean tools after pruning one tree and before you prune another.  Mix a disinfectant of bleach. Mix 4 parts of water and 1 part bleach. When done pruning, clean tools.  Obtain a 2 cup container, add 2 teaspoons of oil with 1/2 a cup of vinegar; then add enough water to make 2 cups.

February 2017

This month's garden tips come from Toot's Bier's article "Keep Your Garden Healthy After A Rainstorm" in the "Press Enterprise". Toots was a graduating member of the first Riverside County Master Gardener class. She moved on to write garden tips in the "Press Enterprise" and teach master gardener classes. A thank you to the anonymous provider of Toot's article. The perfect follow up from last month's tip what to do before the storm. 

Winter rain is a welcome event but when heavy and continuous rains come, our gardens may need attention.

 Puddles that remain several days after a storm are a red flag that your soil amends have been washed away or absorbed. Amend again between the rain drops with compost adding peat moss, leaves and/or sawdust.

 Clean up any plant debris and leaves to prevent fungal diseases. If a fungus has developed, apply dormant oil before it rains on the tree or shrub and the ground under and around them. 

 If you have already planted spring color and used a water-soluble nitrogen fertilizer, your fertilizer has dissolved and leached to where it is no longer available to the roots. Reapply fertilizer 1/2 strength. 

 Resist the urge to dig or cultivate the soil while it is heavy with water. It causes soil compaction, poor aeration and drainage that lead to poor root development.

January 2017

(1) Water your grass, flower beds, and outdoor plants before a rainstorm if they are parched due to the Southern California drought. With the water restrictions we all water as little as we can to get by, but when a heavy rain is on its way, soak everything that will benefit from the rain. It lessens runoff as the rain soaks deeper into the ground and there will be no need to water for weeks.

(2) Use pine needles as mulch around your camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Do not use needles from flocked trees. Remove tinsel. Gather pine needles from neighbors, family, friends and lots selling fresh trees.

(3) Old Christmas lights that emit heat, not LED's, can be wrapped around large plants or bushes to protect them from frost. Fans can also protect a plant from the cold by circulating the air.

(4) Pick biodegradable paper egg cartons when baking. Save the cartons for starting seeds in January.

November 2016

• • Keep cabbage worms and loopers off your winter vegetables. Try mixing 2 tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper with a cup of flour. Spread the flour dust around the veggies. The worms and loopers will eat the mixture and die. Other insects will be offended and leave.

  • Wad a mesh bag and put it in the bottom of your vase. Use the stems of your flowers to poke holes in the mesh. The flowers will be arranged and stay in place.

  • Put cinnamon sticks in your house plants to keep visiting dogs and cats off your house plants. When the aroma wanes, add a few drops of cinnamon extract to the sticks.

  • Buy your holiday poinsettia soon after Thanksgiving. Pick one that has unopened buds. The buds are in the center of the colored leaves (e.g., red leaves). Remove the plant from the sleeve ASAP. Place the poinsettia away from cold drafts. Don’t let the plant dry out between watering. Never put outside in the winter.